We’re delighted to announce 24 neuromuscular centres across the UK are the recipients of our prestigious Centre of Excellence awards.
The centres are recognised for providing outstanding care, promoting best practice locally and nationally and demonstrating their commitment to improving health and care for the muscle wasting and weakening community.
The information gathered through the awards process provides a benchmark of neuromuscular services across all centres that took part in the national audit. This will help centres in their efforts to build business cases for additional NHS investment in core services.
Breaking down our national audit
Around the UK centres in Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Newcastle upon Tyne, Oswestry, Oxford, Manchester, Nottingham, Plymouth, Preston, Salford, Sheffield and Southampton received an award. These were broken down into the following categories:
- 16 Centre of Clinical Excellence with Research
- Two Centre of Clinical Excellence
- Three Centre Pursuing Clinical Excellence with Research
- Three Centre Pursuing Clinical Excellence
Our Chief Executive, Catherine Woodhead, said: “We would like to congratulate all centres that have been recognised with a Centre of Excellence award after a robust and rigorous assessment of their service by leadi ng neuromuscular experts and members of the muscle wasting and weakening community. Despite continuing pressures and challenges within the NHS, these centres strive every day to ensure they promote best practice and provide an exemplary service.
"The findings from our Centre of Excellence awards demonstrate that many centres continue to require investment to develop specialist multi-disciplinary teams that can provide the best care possible along with a working environment that fosters the ability to conduct or support excellent research and access to clinical trials to advance treatments and other scientific progress. That's why we're calling on commissioners to include requirements for the provision of the recommended standards of neuromuscular care.”
Reviewing every three years
Our Centre of Excellence awards take place every three years. The audit is overseen by our Services Development Committee, and an independent sub-committee of neuromuscular health professionals and people with lived experience of neuromuscular conditions. The audit reviews information, a range of case studies and examples of best practice as well as assessing the way neuromuscular services are organised and how people using the services can access them.
Dr Helen Roper, retired Consultant Paediatrician formerly of Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Chair of Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Centre of Excellence awards Sub-Committee said: “I’m grateful to all expert members, as well as our volunteer auditors, who’ve generously given their time and shared their clinical expertise to help ensure that all participating centres are robustly assessed.
“This has enabled us to have a wide picture of the provision of clinical care and research capacity at neuromuscular centres across the UK, including allowing us to identify the pressures and barriers centres face in providing the best practice of care. I look forward to seeing advancement in neuromuscular care for everyone living with a muscle wasting and weakening condition, with the support of Muscular Dystrophy UK as a leading patient organisation in the sector.”
Providing essential care for those living with a condition
David Gale, 40, was diagnosed with Becker muscular dystrophy in 1988 aged five. He is a patient at the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Newcastle Upon Tyne who have just been acknowledged with a Centre of Excellence award.
David said: "Since my diagnosis at a young age to now being 40, I’ve always received excellent support from the experts at the centre. I can contact anyone with a query and confidently know I’ll get a prompt answer, with any support being second to none. Hearing the centre has been awarded a Muscular Dystrophy UK Centre of Excellence award is fantastic.
“Thanks to everyone involved for their continued support of the neuromuscular community. Long may it continue. It really does make a difference to those living with a muscle weakening or wasting condition."
Centres awarded
Muscular Dystrophy UK Centre of Clinical Excellence with Research
- Neuromuscular Team, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool
- Atkinson Morley Neuromuscular Centre, St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London
- Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
- Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
- Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London
- The Neuromuscular Service at Leeds Children’s Hospital, The Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust
- North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol
- Oxford Muscle Service, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Neuromuscular Team, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield
- Academic Neuromuscular Disorders Unit, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- The John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Greater Manchester Muscle Disease Unit, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Salford
- Neuromuscular at Oswestry (NEMO), The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Oswestry
- The Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London
- The Queen Square Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases, the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London
Muscular Dystrophy UK Centre of Clinical Excellence
- Southampton Children's Hospital, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
- The Wessex Neurological Centre, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Muscular Dystrophy UK Centre Pursuing Clinical Excellence with Research
- Royal Preston Paediatric Neuromuscular Service, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Preston
- The Neuromuscular Team, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool
- Regional Neuromuscular Service – Northern Ireland, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast
Muscular Dystrophy UK Centre Pursuing Clinical Excellence
- Nottingham Adult Neuromuscular Team, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Addenbrooke’s Paediatric Neuromuscular Service, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Plymouth
Learn more about our Centre of Excellence awards and discover the recipients of our prestigious awards.